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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. race — the arms race
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rule — government
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. snap — to click
  13. stock — shares
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rule — a law
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stock — goods
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com